Tuesday, September 11, 2018

The Past Week in Action with Eric Armit

Highlights:-Shawn Porter decisions Danny Garcia to win the vacant WBC Welterweight Title-Donnie Nietes fights a draw with Aston Palicte so the WBO Super Flyweight Title remains vacant and Nietes must try again if he is to become a four-division champion-Amir Khan gets off the canvas to outpoint Samuel Vargas-Juan Francisco Estrada decisions Felipe Orucuta in Super Fly 3-Yordenis Ugas outpoints Cesar Barrionuevo to move into the mandatory challengers spot for Errol Spence’s IBF Title-Denis Lebedev gets an inside the distance and the WBA four cruiserweight champions and the titles!-Kazuto Ioka outpoints McWilliams Arroyo-Andrew Moloney impresses with inside the distance win over Luis Concepcion-Adam Kownacki wins over former IBF champion Charles Martin in an entertaining heavyweight ten-Jason Welborn retains the British Middleweight Title in yet another war with Tommy Langford

Both fighters were cagey at the start. Porter was bouncing around
and making some lunging attacks. Garcia was countering and scored with a good
combination. Those were the best punches in the round giving Garcia the edge

Score 10-9
Garcia

Round 2

Porter made good use of his jab early in the round. Garcia was
waiting too long. He did land a left hook, the best punch in the round, but
Porter was busier and hiswork with the
jab gave him the round.

Score 10-9
Porter
Even 19-19

Round 3

The fight finally came to life in the third. Garcia caught Porter
early with a short right hook. Porter was letting his punches fly but Garcia
was showing some classy defensive work and did enough to take a close round.

Score 10-9
GarciaGarcia
29-28

Round 4

Porter made a fast start to this round getting through with his
jab and some combinations. He hustled and bustled Garcia getting home with left
hooks to the body. He continued to be the one doing the scoring and he took the
round clearly.

Score 10-9
PorterEven
38-38

Official
scores: 38-38, 38-38, 38-38

Round 5

Porter’s round. He was getting his punches off first. Garcia was waiting
too long and Porter was able to come in behind his jab, land a couple of
punches and get out again.

Score 10-9
PorterPorter
48-47

Round 6

Another round for Porter. After banging home a big right early he
was outworking Garcia swinging hooks from both hands and again hustling Garcia
out of his stride. Garcia’s punch output was low and he was throwing just one
punch at a time with no sustained attacks.

Score 10-9
PorterPorter
58-56

Round 7

Porter was warned early after his head banged into Garcia’s face
and Garcia was given some recovery time. From there it was Porter’s round. His
mobility was giving Garcia problems. Porter was marching forward throwing hooks
and uppercuts. Whilst Garcia was waiting Porter was working.

Score 10-9
PorterPorter
68-65

Round 8

Porter’s again. He was walking forward letting fly with left and
right hooks. Garcia was getting close but then either throwing nothing or only
one punch at a time before a series of punches from Porter drove him back.
Porter was missing a lot but still throwing more and landing more.

Score 10-9
PorterPorter
78-74

Official
scores: 77-75, 77-75 and 77-75- all for Porter

Round 9

Garcia came back into the fight in this one. He was letting his
hands go more and was more accurate than the wild swinging Porter countering
Porter’s rushes with short, crisp counters.

Score 10-9
GarciaPorter
87-84

Round 10

This was the best round so far. Porter started out wading forward
pumping out punches with Garcia unable to do much attacking of his own. Then
Garcia began to time Porter’s rushes and was scoring with some blistering
counters that rocked Porter’s head and his more accurate punching gave him the
round.

Score 10-9
GarciaPorter
96-94

Round 11

The same tactics but a different outcome in this round. Porter was
still surging forward throwing punches but was landing more. Garcia was
countering but his timing was off and it was Porter’s round.

Score 10-9
PorterPorter
106-103

Round 12

No big dramatic finish. Porter took the round with his lunging
attacks with Garcia just being outworked. It was close but Porters’ round.

Score 10-9
PorterPorter 116-112

Official
scores: 116-112, 115-113 and 115-113 all for Porter

Close but deserved victory for Porter. Garcia lost the fight over
the middle rounds and just did not throw enough punches. Former IBF champion “Showtime
Porter, 30, lost his IBF title on a majority decision against Kell Brook and
also lost to Keith Thurman for the secondary WBA title but now he is in the
pole position with a fight against Errol Spence already being talked about as
well as a title defense against Yordenis Ugas.. Garcia already a two division
champion will regroup and come back strongly and almost certainly fight for a
title again in 2019.

Ugas vs.
Barrionuevo

Cuban Ugas takes wide unanimous decision over a disappointing and
outclassed southpaw Barrionuevo. With the possibility of a fight with the
winner of Porter vs. Garcia Ugas was looking to impress but against a negative
opponent he was unable to close the one-sided fight out early and the crowd was
less than enthralled by the lack of any fire in the fight. Ugas had to be the
aggressor as Barrionuevo chose not to engage but retreat on the back foot and
throw counters. He threw plenty of punches but they had no power and very
little accuracy. Ugas controlled the fight with his jab and was effective with
slashing hooks from both hands. The one-sided nature of the fight and the lack
of any sustained action had the crowd booing periodically. Ugas pressed hard
and had Barrionuevo shaken badly in the sixth and worked him over thoroughly in
the eighth but other than that the Argentinian managed to avoid serious trouble
and kept up his negative tactics to the final bell. Scores 120-108 twice and
119-109. The 32-year-old Ugas was a star of the Cuban amateur team before
defecting and making his way to the USA on a raft. During his time with the
Cuban team he won gold medals at the Pan American Games, the Central American
and Caribbean Games and the World Championships beating fighters such as
Terrence Crawford, Everton Lopes, Jose Pedraza and Sadam Ali. He looked a cert
to be a success as a pro but made a stuttering start losing an early fight to
Johnny Garcia and then two on the bounce in 2014 to Emanuel Rodrigues and Amir
Imam and disappeared from the scene for two years. Since returning and moving
up to welterweight he has scored wins over Jamal James, Bryant Perrella, Thomas
Dulorme and Ray Robinson. Going into the fight he was No 2 with the IBF with
the No 1 spot vacant. By beating Barrionuevo who was No 10 he has met the
qualification to go into the No 1 spot and become the mandatory challenger to
Errol Spence. Barrionuevo, the Argentinian champion, had won his last ten
fights but mostly against modest domestic opposition and like many Argentinian
fighters when they try to move up from domestic class to a higher level they
disappoint.

Kownacki vs.
Martin

Kownacki takes close unanimous decision over former IBF champion
Martin in a punch fest. Kownacki quickly had Martin on the back foot as he
padded forward throwing heavy punches. Martin was quicker and more skillful but
nothing he hit Kownacki with halted the Pole’s forward march. There is nothing
pretty about Kownacki. He is slow and predictable but he is strong throws lots
of punches and takes a very good punch. The constant pressure from Kownacki
forced Martin to stand and trade or be overwhelmed and the result was that they
spent much of the fight standing in the center of the ring trading clubbing
shots to head and body. With his longer reach and far superior skills it was
the wrong tactics for Martin but the relentless pressure from Kownacki made it
difficult for Martin to create enough space to box so the crowd was getting
their money’s worth in a rousing battle. Kownacki wins by wearing his opponent
down and he was landing thudding body punches but Martin was matching him.
Kownacki did seem to have built a lead by the half way mark but as they both
tired Martin cut into that lead over the second half of the fight and it was
very close going into the last. A brutal round saw Kownacki clobbering Martin
with rights, often thrown off the wrong foot, only for Martin to land a whole
series of head punches that had the Pole floundering before banging back to
shake Martin as they pounded each other to the bell after an amazing three
minutes. Brooklyn-based Kownacki, 29, took the decision but only just as all three
judges gave it to him 96-94. Rated WBC 10/IBF 12(11). Kownacki’s strength has
taken him to inside the distance wins over Artur Szpilka and Iago Kiladze and
this victory over Martin is his biggest so far. He is 6’3” (191) but is no
toned svelte figure weighing 263lbs (119kgs) with a lot of that weight around
his waist. He walks in on a straight line and has a very weak defense so
whether his chin will be able to stand up to big punchers such as Anthony
Joshua, Deontay Wilder and Luis Ortiz is questionable. Martin, 32, will feel he
should have gotten something out of this fight. After losing his IBF title to
Anthony Joshua in 2016. Martin was inactive for a year before returning with
two wins over modest opposition in 2017. He was No 9 with the WBC but had been
dropped by the other three bodies. If he is going to get anywhere close to a
title fight he is going to have to take some tough fights against other rated
challengers.

Colbert vs.
Fassinou

Classy southpaw prospect Colbert much too good for late substitute
Fassinou. From the first the hand speed and movement of Colbert had Fassinou
floundering. The Brooklyn youngster was firing quick, accurate combinations
that soon had Fassinou looking to defence rather than attack. A body punch had Fassinou
hurt in the second and throughout the fight Colbert was able to get through
with quick punches from both hands. He forced the fight hard for a while but
seemed to ease up late before trying hard to finish things in the last. Scores
a predictable 80-72 for Colbert. He was a New York Golden Gloves champion and
went on to win the US National title in 2015 before turning pro. Fassinou, 32,
also a southpaw, is now 1-7 in his last 8 fights.

Quarles vs.
Willis

Quarles gets split decision over Willis. Not a great deal between
these two in a grueling fight which was mainly a close-quarters scrap. Quarles
was as little stronger over the middle rounds and busier late and that made the
difference. Scores 78-74 and 77-75 for Quarles and 76-74 for Willis. Quarles
improves to 7 wins in his last 8 fights. The loss was a split verdict against
Tyrone Brunson in March last year. Willis had been in good form with 5 wins in
his last 6 fights.

The WBIO super fly title remains vacant after Nietes and Palicte
finish up all even.

Round 1

Nietes was giving away lots of height at 5’3” to 5’7” for Palicte,
The taller man made good use of the longer reach to put Nietes on the back foot
and followed his jab with some long, straight rights. Nietes used good upper
body movement to slip Palicte’s punches and jabbed to the body.

Score 10-9
Palicte

Round 2

A pacey second round saw Nietes using excellent ring craft to get
past or under Palicte’s jab and score with some sharp punches. Palicte kept
working the jab and long rights but Nietes edged it.

Score 10-9
NietesEven
19-19

Round 3

Palicte was in control in the third. Again his jab was keeping
Nietes on the outside. Palicte forced the fight hard and mixed in some left
hooks. Nietes slotted home some classy counters but was outscored.

Score Palicte
10-9Palicte
29-28

Round 4

Palicte had a very good round. He was following the jab with more
long rights and landing with hooks from both hands. Nietes was stuck on the end
of the jab and unable to land anything of significance

Score Palicte
10-9Palicte
39-37

Official
scores : 38-38, 39-37 Palicte, 39-37 Palicte

Round 5

Nietes took this one. He was getting past Palicte’s jab and in mid
round landed four hard head punches which shook Palicte. He was nipping in
quickly and landing hooks inside and then blocking or dodging Palicte's
punches.

Score 10-9
NietesPalicte
48-47

Round 6

This one was a bit closer but again Nietes took it. His ring craft
was exceptional. He was timing his attacks getting inside with a short burst of
hooks and out again before Palicte could counter. Nietes sparkled with a right
cross/left hook sequence, the two best punches of the round. Nietes did go down
but it was a slip so not counted.

Score 10-9
NietesEven
58-58

Round 7

Palicte outworked Nietes. He was back on target with his jab and
Nietes had difficulty getting through with his counters and almost seemed to
take the round off . Although landing a couple of counters Nietes was largely
ineffectual.

Score 10-9
PalictePalicte
68-67

Round 8

One for Nietes. He used his timing and hand speed to out jab
Palicte. Again he was stepping in quickly with quick bursts of hooks and
ducking and bobbing away from Palicte’s jab and Palicte was struggling to find
the target.

Score 10-9
NietesEven
77-77

Official
scores 78-74 Nietes, 78-74 Palicte, and 76-76 Even

Round 9

Great defensive work from Nietes as he slipped and slid around
Palicte’s punches. There was very little variety in Palicte ‘s work and he was
marching in on a straight line which made him an easy target for the snappy
penetrating punches of Nietes .

Score 10-9
NietesNietes
87-86

Round 10

Great round by Nietes. The experience of over 300 rounds of
competitive boxing came into play as he constantly opened up Palicte’s defense
then slotted home quick accurate punches and with the younger man Palicte
beginning to tire he rocked him with a big right and a left hook.

Score 10-9
NietesNietes
97-95

Round 11

Palicte worked hard in this one. He was coming forward pressing
Nietes with Nietes work rate not as high the last few rounds. Palicte did most
of the scoring. Nietes rallied a little at the end of the round but it was
Palicte’s.

Score 10-9
PalicteNietes
106-105

Round 12

On the official scorecards Nietes needed to win this round to get
a draw. Not the way I saw it but it is those official scores that count. After
a cautious 90 seconds Nietes went on the rampage he was forcing Palicte back
around the ring landing long rights with Palicte just trying to avoid getting
nailed like a man who though he had already won the fight.

Score 10-9
NietesNietes
116-114.

Official
scores 116-110 Nietes, 116-112 Palicte, 114-114

Great disappointment for the 36-year-old Nietes. A victory here
would have made him a four division champion equalling the achievements of
Nonito Donaire. It has been fourteen years since he lost a fight and he is now
30-0-4 in his 34 fights and is 16-0-2 in his 18 world title fights. Hopefully
he will get another chance to make history and soon. Palicte, 27, lost this
fight over the championship rounds having only gone twelve rounds once before.
He is 14-1-1 in his last 16 fights and was No 2 in the WBO ratings behind
Nietes so it is likely they will fight again in 2019.

Estrada vs.
Orucuta

Estrada wins this SuperFly3 main event with unanimous points
victory over fellow Mexican Orucuta. This was a fight that started as an easy
night for Estrada and then became an entertaining, typical Mexican war. Estrada
was superior in every department and over the first three rounds he was able to
outbox Orucuta landing constantly with his jab, left hooks and straight rights
on his slower opponent. Estrada was totally dominant and running in second gear
over those first three rounds. Although it looked a possibility that this one
could end early Orucuta refused to buckle. Slowly from the fourth he livened up
and began to take the fight to Estrada more and land some heavy punches.
Estrada soon found out that second gear was not enough and the fight really
came to life. Estrada was now facing an opponent who was still mostly coming
off worst in the exchanges but undeterred was rolling forward and handing out
plenty of punishment of his own. They traded punches throughout the seventh and
eight which were both close. Estrada was doing the higher quality work and
shook Orucuta occasionally with rights but he never came close to subduing
Orucuta. Whilst Estrada was winning most of the rounds he was having to work
much harder to do so. It was the eleventh before Estrada turned the fight back
to what it had been over the early rounds.He clearly outscored Orucuta in that round and then dominated the last.
He landed time and again with hard punches shaking Orucuta with a series of
rights to the head with Orucuta just making it to the final bell. Scores
117-111 twice and 118-110 for Estrada. The former undefeated WBA and WBO
flyweight champion has his sights set on getting revenge against Srisaket who
took a majority decision over him in a challenge for the WBC title in February.
Srisaket has a voluntary defence against Iran Diaz on 6 October and as Estrada
is WBC No 1 theirreturn fight should
happen early in 2019. Orucuta was largely dismissed as an opponent for Estrada
which is harsh. He twice challenged Omar Narvaez in Argentina for the WBO super
fly title losing the first in 2013 on a split decision and the second in 2014
on a majority decision and was unlucky both times. He suffered a disappointing
loss to Jose Cayetano in 2015 but had scored five inside the distance wins against
solid opposition since then and was No 7 with the WBC.

Ioka vs.
Arroyo

Ioka wins the vacant WBC Silver title with unanimous decision over
Arroyo. After an even first round where they both scored well with body punches
the second saw Ioka in control. Having started out as a minimum weight he was
the smaller man but he was out jabbing Arroyo and digging in some hard left
hooks to the body. In the third Arroyo’s work with his jab had Ioka backing up
and Arroyo was throwing bunches of hooks and uppercuts. Ioka then took over and
put Arroyo on the back foot. He was again landing savage left hooks to the body
just seconds before the bell a right to the head saw Arroyo go half way to the
canvas using his glove to keep him from going all the way down. He was up immediately
and the round was over as the eight count was completed. Arroyo worked well
with the jab early in the fourth but eventually Ioka was walking through the
jab and scoring with left hooks to the body and straight rights. Ioka kept the
pressure on in the sixth and seventh. The rounds were close but he was swarming
in throwing hooks from both hands. Arroyo did better when he stayed outside and
used his jab. He was able to counter Ioka who was not really concerned about
defense. Ioka was not loading up on his punches but was throwing enough to shut
down Arroyo’s attacks. Arroyo fought hard and despite suffering a cut over his
right eye from a punch he remained competitive enough to deserved to take a few
rounds but it was not enough and Ioka was a good winner. Scores 97-92 twice and
99-90 all for Ioka. The 29-year-old Ioka is a former WBA and WBC minimumweight
champion and also held WBA secondary titles at light fly and fly. He never lost
any of those titles but instead vacated them. His lone loss came in a challenge
for the IBF flyweight title in 2014 losing on a split decision to Amnat
Ruenroeng. This is his ninth win since then and he is rated No 2 by the WBA.
Puerto Rican Arroyo, 32, was coming off a win in February when he decisioned
Carlos Cuadras and was No 3 with both the WBC and WBO. After winning a gold
medal at both the World Championships and the Pan American Games a world title
as a pro looked a real possibility but now looks a forlorn hope. His twin
brother McJoe had less success as an amateur but won the IBF super fly title.

Marin vs. Escalante

Romanian Marin wins split decision over Filipino Escalante. Marin
is tall for a super fly at 5’7” (170cm) and had height and reach edges over the
5’2” (157cm) Escalante. Marin made good use of those advantages early but
Escalante was quick enough and aggressive enough to keep the fight close. Marin
was cut over his right eye in the fourth and allowed himself to be dragged into
fighting Escalante’s fight late but he looked to have done enough to deserve
the verdict. Scores 98-92 and 97-93 for Marin and 96-94 for Escalante.Marin, 26, competed at the European and World
Youth Championships and won a bronze medal at the World Youth Olympics.
Californian-based Escalante was looking for his fourth win in a row but just
came up short.

Velasquez vs.
Flores

Mexican Olympian “El Huracan” Velasquez wins every round but has
to go the distance for the first time as a pro. Scores 60-54 from all the
judges for Velasquez but some good ring time. Prelim fighter Flores did well to
go six but drops to 2-5 in his last 7 outings.

Salamov much too good for Liebau and finishes him with a body
punch in the second..Salamov had the longer reach and reddened Liebau’s face
with jabs in the first. Liebau showed plenty of movement and fired a couple of
quick combinations but neither fighter opened up. It was the same in the early
action in the second with Salamov again jabbing strongly and Liebau jumping in
with quick attacks. Salamov started to let his right go and when Liebau lifted
his guard to defend against the right Salamov dug a left hook to the body that put
Liebau down on one knee. He tried to rise half way through the count but
dropped again and the referee waived the fight off. The 24-year-old
Nevada-based Russian wins the vacant WBO International title and makes it 17
wins by KO/TKO. Third win for Salamov since losing a close decision to
Australian Damien Hooper in July last year. He is current at No 11(9) with the
IBF and 14 with the WBO. He will move higher and could fight for a title next
year. German Liebau, 37, falls to two losses by KO/TKO in his last three
fights.

Kozaev vs.
Kotov

No problems for Russian “Lion” Kozaev as he has too much power for
fellow RussianKotov. Kozaev used left
hooks and overhand rights to dominate the fight. Kotov fought back but did not
have the punch to match Kozaev. Despite being rocked a few times Kotov scored
with some good body punches of his own but Kozaev was able to use his strength
to put Kotov on the back foot and outscored him in every round. Scores 100-90
twice and 99-91 for Kozaev. Wide points defeats against Ray Robinson and Taras
Shelestyuk put a big dent in Kozaev’s hopes but he has rebuilt with six win
over very modest opposition. Kotov “ The Caspian Tiger” falls to 2-3 in his
last 5 fights.

Kudryashov
vs. Barragan

Kudryashov wins but does not impress as Barragan folds too easily.
Barragan had the longer reach and scored with his jab early. Kudryashov tested
Barragan with a couple of rights but it was a pedestrian start from the world
rated Russian. Kudryashov stalked
Barragan in the second and third but was not quick enough to cut off the ring
and was just looking to land one big right. Barragan was throwing more and was
more accurate but his punches lacked power. Kudryashov pushed harder in the
fourth and fifth but was still too slow to land anything of note. In the sixth
a left to the head, which did not look too heavy, seemed to stun Barragan and
he swayed on his feet. Kudryashov leaped in trying to capitalise on that but
before he could land another punch Barragan backed to the ropes and dropped to
one knee. He was up at eight but needed his mouthguard replaced which gave him
a few seconds to recover before a right from Kudryashov that seemed to just
brush across Barragan’s forehead saw him drop to one knee. He indicated to the
referee that he was finished and the fight was stopped. First fight for
Kudryashov since his two round loss to Yunier Dorticos in September and the
rust showed. Obviously this was not seen as any test as Kudryashov has another
fight scheduled for 15 September. Uruguayan Barragan showed some nice touches
but collapsed too easily and this is his third loss by KO/TKO in his last five
fights

Davtaev vs.
Skobenko

Davtaev remains unbeaten with sixth round win over Ukrainian
Skobenko. The 6’5” (196cm) Davtaev had lots of height and reach on his side and
pounded the portly Skobenko all the way. Skobenko took the punishment and kept
walking back in for more. The one-sided fight ended in the sixth. Davtaev
pummelled Skobenko with some wicked hooks and uppercuts and Skobenko stopped
fighting back With just 15 seconds left in the round Skobenko’s corner finally
threw in the towel. Win No 15 by KO/TKO for Davtaev including 7 in his last 8
fights but against medium to low grade opposition. The 6’0” (184cm) Skobenko
just carries to much weight for his height and is 1-2-2 in his last 5 fights.

Idigov vs.
Wanyonyi

Idigov destroys Kenyan Wanyonyi in two rounds. Idigov rocked
Wanyonyi a couple of time in the first and brutally ended the fight in the
second. A right to the head and a left hook saw Wanyonyi slide down the ropes
to the canvas. He was up at nine and tried to box his way out of peril but a
straight right put him down again and the referee stopped the fight.Home town fighter Idigov wins the vacant WBO
Asia Pacific title with his sixth win by KO/TKO. Still nothing resembling a
real test for him so far. Eighth loss by KO/TKO for 35-year0-old Wanyonyi

Charlie Hoy

September 6

Santo
Domingo, Dominican Republic:

Flyweights: Charlie Hoy (15-0) W KO 4 Donny Garcia (16-4).

Hoy retains the WBA Fedelatin title with kayo of local boxer
Garcia. Englishman Hoy overcame the height reach and more skillful Garcia thanks
to some vicious body punches. Garcia looked comfortable over the first two
rounds but that changed when Hoy started to land heavily to the body in the
third. Hoy continued to press in the fourth until a wicked right to the body
put Garcia down and he was unable to beat the count. Hoy, 27, turned pro in
England but after being inactive in 2015 started fighting out of the Dominican
Republic. This is his seventh win there all by KO/TKO. Because he has won a WBA
Regional title he is at No 7 in their ratings. Garcia was a late substitute. He
was 16-1 over his first 17 fights but this is his third loss in a row by KO/TKO
all against tough opposition.

Rodriguez gets off the floor and scores three knockdowns to beat Perez.
Rodriguez used a strong jab and some useful hooks to take the first. He was
coming forward confidently in the second and landed a good left hook. As they
trade punches a counter right from Perez put Rodriguez on the floor. Rodriguez
recovered quickly and ended the fight in the third. He shook Perez with a
couple of rights and Perez backed up to the ropes. A right to the head put him
down and although he beat the count Rodriguez was on to him immediately and two
more rights put Perez on the canvas. He again made it to his feet but two
rights and a left hook floored him for the third time and the referee just
waived the fight over. Now 13 wins by KO/TKO for the 23-year-old “Titan” from
San Luis Potosi as he retains the WBC Fecombox title. He gets his second win in
a row since a poor performance in March when he lost on points to an opponent
with a 5-2-1 record. Three losses in his last four fights for Perez.

Lopez vs.
Garcia

“Doberman” Lopez chews up Garcia in four rounds. Lopez was much
the bigger puncher but Garcia tried to take the fight to him. In a fiery fourth
first Lopez had Garcia on the ropes and hurt with a left hook with Garcia
urging Lopez to stay and trade. Then Garcia had Lopez under fire but Lopez, the
bigger man, took over again. A straight left put Garcia on the floor and
although he made it to his feet he was badly shaken and the referee stopped the
fight. Fifteen wins inside the distance for Lopez who had lost three of his
last four fights but with tough jobs against Luke Campbell, Jose Felix and 19-0
Joseph Aguirre no surprise he lost those. Poor Garcia now has nine losses by
KO/TKO.

Lebedev returns to action with a stoppage of Altunkaya. Lebedev
trailed Altunkaya around the ring in the first looking to score with his
southpaw left. Altunkaya kept on the move not looking to engage and a fleshy
Lebedev just could not land anything heavy. Lebedev caught up with Altunkaya
early in the second and Altunkaya went down although the left to the chest did
not look hard enough for the knockdown. He was up quickly but did not look a
happy bunny. He managed to stay out of further trouble to the bell.In the third Lebedev continued to hunt a
negative Altunkaya until he landed a left to the head. Again it did not look a
strong punch but Altunkaya collapsed on his back and was counted out. Lebedev,
38, says he now wants to fight Oleg Usyk and the WBA will mandate that fight.
They have to as they are in the embarrassing position of having a super
champion, a secondary champion and an interim champion and now that Lebedev is
no longer “in recess” they have no more titles for him. Altunkaya was poor.
After being very protected during a run of 29 wins he has now been exposed with
three loses in his last four fights.

Abdullaev vs.
Lundy

Important win for Abdullaev as he takes unanimous decision over
experienced Lundy. The fight set off at a fast pace with both fighters plying
their jab and landing hooks inside. Abdullaev seemed a little more accurate but
the rounds were very even. Abdullaev had a better third. Lundy started the
round by scoring with some good counters but Abdullaev launched a big attack
late in the round to take it, Lundy was on the back foot in the fourth and
fifth with Abdullaev forcing the fight. Lundy was scoring well with his jab and
some precise counters but a clash of heads opened a cut over his right eye.
Abdullaev continued to take the fight to Lundy but the American showed the
benefit of his experience with some excellent defensive work and had a good
eighth putting Abdullaev on the back foot. A right from Abdullaev in the ninth
dislodged Lundy’s mouthguard. Lundy had paced the fight better and he came on
strong over the last three rounds to make the fight close-much closer than the
judges saw it. Scores 118-110, 117-112 and 115-113 for Abdullaev. The
24-year-old Russian retains the WBC Silver title. He is No 4 with that body..
Lundy is now No 17. Despite his small number of pro contests Abdullaev has
already met some experienced opponents with the previous three having combined
records of 65-5-3. Obviously a setback for Lundy who had scored three wins
since his loss to Terrence Crawford for the WBO super light title in 2016.

Urvanov vs.
Kuznetsov

“Canelo” Urvanov and Kuznetsov fight to a draw. This was a
cracking scrap between two well matched fighters. Both were looking to stamp
their authority on the fight early and it was a wild battle from there Urvanov
was quicker and more accurate but the strong Kuznetsov rocked Urvanov with big
rights to the head and they just stood and traded hooks for much of the fight.Both fighters had spells on top and every
round was close giving the judges a hard task. Each judge seemed to see a
different fight but it was one neither deserved to lose. Scores 99-91 for
Urvanov, 97-94 for Kuznetsov and 95-95. There were vacant versions of three
minor titles on the line. The very strange Eurasian Boxing Parliament, IBF
Youth and WBC CISBB titles. Ginger-headed Urvanov, 22, is now 1-1-1 in his most
recent outings. Russian champion Kuznetsov remains unbeaten.

Evchenko vs.
Romay

Evchenko breaks down Argentinian southpaw Romay to force the win.
The Russian just kept coming and Romay was gutsy but did not have the power to
keep Evchenko out. Romay fought hard but by the sixth he had blood seeping from
a cut over his left eye hampering his vision. Evchenko rocked Romay with a
couple of left jabs that were thrown as more like a left cross and Romay nearly
went down twice from those hammer hits. He sensibly retired at the end of the
round. Evchenko’s record does not look strong but he had a run of seven wins
including a victory in New York in March over Khiary Gray before losing a very
close decision to Ahmed El Mousaoui in June. Romay was 13-1 in his last 14
fights with the loss being in September last year against 21-0 Zhankosh Turarov
on points in Kazakhstan.

Chebotarev
vs, De Jesus

Hidden down the bill former top amateur Chebotarev batters
Brazilian De Jesus to defeat. The hard-punching Russian had De Jesus under
pressure from the start digging in hurtful hooks to the body. Pretty soon De
Jesus was in survival mode. In the third Chebottarev proceeded to bounce De
Jesus around the ring with De Jesus only throwing an occasional right. Finally
Chebottarev pinned de Jesus to the ropes and cut loose with a series of hooks
and uppercuts until De Jesus dropped to one knee and stayed there for the full
count. Fourth win by KO/TKO for the 29-year-old Chebottarev whodid not turn pro until he was 28. As an
amateur he was three times Russian champion, was a gold medallist at the
European Cadet Championships and took a silver at both the European Juniors
andSenior Championships. He represented
Russia at the 2011 and 2013 World Championships losing in the semi-final to
Jason Quigley in 2013. He won the AIBA Pro Boxing Championship and competed at the
Olympic Games in 2016 but will have to take some shortcuts to make it as a pro.
De Jesus gets his second loss by KO/TKO but this was his first fight since
losing on points to Orlando Fiordigiglio in July 2016.

Mitchell overcomes Foley in a tough ten rounds to retain his two
titles and win a third. Great movement and hand speed had Mitchell outboxing
Foley early. Mitchell was banging home jabs and left hooks and constantly
changing angles to keep Foley off balance and doubling up on his jab. He was
ducking and weaving under Foley’s punches. Foley stayed strong and began to
land some hurtful left hooks to the body and head putting Mitchell under
pressure before Mitchell went back to the jab and boxed his way to the
unanimous decision. Scores 97-93 on all three cards for Mitchell. He retains
the OPBF and Interim WBA Oceania titles and wins the vacant IBF Pan Pacific
belt. Now twelve wins in a row for Mitchell who is rated No 12 by both the WBA
and WBC. Former Australian light heavy champion Foley had won his last two
fights in the first round.

Watts vs.
Singh

In his first fight since November 2016 former Australian champion
Watts halts Indian novice Singh in the last round. Watts put together a
nine-fight winning streak before losing on points to Danny Green in August 2016
. First fight in Australia for Singh and he was over-matched.

Cam O'Connell

September 7

Edmonton, Canada:

Lightweights: Cam O’Connell (17-2-1) W PTS 8 Jesus Laguna (22-12-3).

Canadian No 5 O’Connell starts the long road back with unanimous
decision over Mexican Laguna. The 29-year-old from Red Deer is rebuilding after
a crushing eighth round stoppage loss to Mathieu Germain in Quebec in February.
He was 15-0-1 until losing to Tony Luis in June last year so two losses in
three fights have set him back a long way. Laguna was knocked out in five
rounds by WBA No 3 Evens Pierre in October but fought a creditable draw with
Canadian Roody Pierre Paul in March.

New Zealander “BoMan”
Morgan retains the IBO Asia Pacific title with unanimous decision over
Australian Woods. Scores 98-92 twice and 97-93 for Morgan. Now eleven wins in a
row for 29-year-old Morgan and first defence of his IBO title. He is now
looking for some big fights overseas. Tasmanian southpaw Woods was Australian
amateur champion and competed at the 2010 Commonwealth Games so his record is a
disappointment considering his amateur pedigree.

A gutsy Nicholson came in as a very late pick and was in way over
his head. Well not quite as he was much taller than Williams, In the first
Williams was trying to find a big punch but Nicholson proved awkward and
although shaken managed to stay to the bell, In the second as Williams moved in
on Nicholson they got tangled up and went over the top rope onto the apron
breaking the top rope. There was a delay whilst that was fixed and then
Williams chased Nicholson down and landed a left hook to the body that puts
Nicholson down and out. Second win this year for Williams as he rebuilds after
consecutive losses to Liam Smith in 2017. Nicholson is now 0-3-1 in four.

Evans vs. Ellison

Evans returns with a win as he outpoints Ellison. This was an
entertaining six rounds. Ellison came looking for the fight and was constantly
marching forward behind a high guard. Southpaw Evans was content to counter
with accurate right jabs and long lefts. When Evans did open up his quick
accurate punches had Ellison backing up but only briefly before marching
forward again. Evans showed real quality in the speed and accuracy of his
punches and was a clear winner but never quite subdued Ellison. Referee’s score
60-55. Welshmen Evans. A former WBO European champion had six tough fights in a
row over 2015, 2016 and 2017 losing to Scott Cardle for the British title,
going 1-0-2 in three fights with Tom Stalker and beating Stephen Ormond but then lost his WBO European title in February
this year being halted in nine rounds by Roman Andreev. This is the second time
Ellison has taken Evans the distance and he came in as a very late substitute
here and did his job well.

Khan floors Vargas and then has to climb of the canvas himself
before winning this one by big margins on all three of the judge’s cards. Khan
was impressive in the first. He was moving well and showing his usual hand
speed. A flashing combination saw Vargas shaking his head to show his disdain
but Khan landed another burst of punches just before the bell.Vargas came out aggressively for the second
but Khan landed a volley of punches and then a hard left hook which sent Vargas
stumbling into the ropes. As he came off Khan met him with more left hooks and
after another left and a right Vargas went down. He was up quickly and after
the eight count Khan jumped in trying to end the fight. Vargas held on and Khan
almost wrestled him to the floor. Khan continued to blast Vargas with left
hooks in the second. Vargas was bleeding from the nose but seemed to have
recovered. He landed a couple of good body punches and then a right cross to
the head sent Khan down. He rolled over and got up but it was a heavy
knockdown. The bell went as the eight count ended so Vargas had no chance to
capitalize on that big right. Vargas came storming out in the third but a right
from Khan which seemed to land behind the ear of Vargas put him over. He was up
and complaining that the punch was to the back of the head. Vargas landed a
couple of good rights in the fourth but it was the blazing hand speed of Kahn
that impressed even though he was sacrificing leverage for speed. Vargas began
the fifth with some hooks to the body but then Khan exploded. He had Vargas
retreating and floundering across the under a storm of hooks and uppercuts and
a stoppage looked possible. Vargas survived but had taken a lot of punishment.
The Colombian had a much better sixth trapping Khan in a corner and working to
the body. Khan’s work rate dropped in the seventh but he did the scoring with
more fast combinations and caught Vargas with a hurtful left hook. Vargas was
more competitive in the eighth as he hunted Khan down but he had no answer to
the speed and accuracy of Khan’s punches. The ninth was more even. Vargas scored
well to the body early and although Khan again landed with some short bursts of
punches his punch output was lower than in other rounds. Khan took the tenth.
He was back to using his jab and threw more combinations. When Vargas did
corner him he used some good defensive work to frustrate Vargas but Vargas did
land a right to the head that had Khan stumbling. Khan outboxed Vargas in the
eleventh stabbing home jabs and fast flurries his footwork was leaving Vargas
swishing air. When Vargas did pin Khan to the ropes Khan punched his way of and
outlanded Vargas. Khan took no chances in the twelfth. He used plenty of
movement to avoid the attacks of Vargas and scored with bunches of light
punches to take the round. Scores 119-108, 119-109 and 118-110 for Khan. This
was just the test Khan needed after blasting out Phil Lo Greco in 39 seconds in
April. Vargas made him fight three minutes of every round. We saw the good and
the not so goods. Khan showed he still has great hand speed and great movement
but the right in the second also showed he sometimes stands right in front of
an opponent and lets his left glove drift and pays the price. Manny Pacquiao
and Kell Brook are the only two names that interest Khan but it might be hard
to make either fight. There are other names Pacquiao could look at and weight
might be a deciding factor in making the Brook fight. Brook may not want to
sweat down to welter and he might be too big for Khan at super welter although
a catchweight contest could be viable. Toronto-based Vargas pushed Khan hard
all the way but just lacked the hand and foot speed to really threaten –except
of course for a right in the second round. His inside the distance losses have
been to Danny Garcia and Errol Spence in non-title fights and he scored four wins
over decent level opposition in 2017.

Welborn vs.
Langford

Welborn retains the British title with a split decision over Tommy
Langford in a fight even better than their thrilling encounter in May. Langford
started well using his longer reach to spear Welborn with jabs and then
stepping in with hooks. Welborn landed a couple of rights as he tried to get
inside. Langford looked on the way to pocketing the round but with less than
twenty seconds to go a straight right to the head from Welborn put Langford
down. He was up at seven and the bell went without Welborn being able to land
another good punch. Langford rebounded in the second. He outboxed Welborn
landing continually with the left and mixing in a variety of punches. Welborn
was waiting too long and just looking to land another big punch. Langford was
boxing well in the third but Welborn was letting his punches go more and landed
a couple of thumping rights. They both landed some quality punches but as
Langford moved in Welborn nailed him with a counter right and Langford stopped
then went down face first before rolling and getting up on one knee. He was up
at eight but badly shaken. A barrage of hooks and uppercuts had Langford in
trouble on the ropes at the bell. Once again after avoiding disaster Langford
came back and he took the fourth raking Welborn with jabs and hooks. Welborn
remained dangerous and in the fifth he staggered Langford with rights to the
head and opened a cut over the left eye of Langford but Langford connected with
a variety of hooks and uppercuts as they battled through three minutes of
action. Langford made the sixth and seventh his. He jarred the advancing
Welborn with jabs and whacked him with body punches. Welborn was still
dangerous but was taking punishment and looked slow. Langford had the best of
the fierce exchanges in the eighth sending Welborn stumbling back with a
straight right and snapping his neck with a right uppercut. Welborn came back
strongly in the ninth with some heavy rights and they both had good spells in the
tenth. Langford edged ahead with his more varied and accurate work in the
eleventh. The last was a brutal three minutes as two tired warriors dragged up
the last vestiges of their strength and punched away to the final bell. Scores
115-114 and 114-113 for Welborn and 114-113 for Langford. Welborn hangs on to
the British title but it was a pity there had to be a loser. A third match?-Yes
please.

Fitzgerald
vs. Morris

Fitzgerald wins with late stoppage of game southpaw Morris.
Fitzgerald was the favourite here and he made the better start using superior
speed and better skills. Both landed some good punches in the second and third
with Morris impressing with his body punching in the fourth only for Fitzgerald
to bang back with a left hook in the fifth and an eye-catching right to the
head in the sixth. Fitzgerald had but a good lead but he was bleeding from the
nose and his work rate dropped over the seventh and eighth. Fitzgerald dug deep
to take the important ninth. In the tenth Fitzgerald ended the fight. He landed
a couple of swift hooks then a hard left followed by a right which sent a
tiring Morris into the ropes and down and the fight was stopped. The
26-year-old from Preston was moving up to ten rounds for the first time and now
has eight wins by KO/TKO. He is a former Commonwealth gold medal winner beating
current successful pros Bowyn Morgan and Thabiso Mbenge on his way to the gold.
Former BBB of c Midlands Area champion Morris gave Fitzgerald a real test. He
was 3-0-1 technical draw going in and is the IBO Continental champion

Eggington vs.
Mwakinyo

Huge shock as unsung Tanzanian stops Eggington in two rounds.
Eggington made a confident start moving in behind his jab but Mwakinyo gave an
early indication of danger with a couple of right hand counters. Eggington was
forcing Mwakinyo back with his jab but again the Tanzanian scored with crisp
counters. Eggington still looked in control until the last 20 seconds of the
round when both fighters threw a left hook. Mwakinyo’s landed first.
Eggington’s legs shook and he backed to the ropes. Mwakinyo pounced throwing
punches until the bell many of which missed but some which landed on
Eggington’s head. Mwakinyo attacked fiercely in the second throwing looking
hooks from both hands driving Eggington back. The Tanzanian just kept throwing
punches. Eggington tried to fight back but his head was being snapped about by
punch after punch and he looked ready to go down when the referee jumped in and
stopped the fight. There was nothing in Mwakinyo’s record to indicate he was a
danger. He had seven wins by KO/TKO but he had been floored and lost every
round against the 8-0 Russian Lendrush Akopian in December so a huge upset and
a huge result for Mwakinyo.Eggington is
only24 and is a former Commonwealth,
British, European and WBC International champion with a win over Paul
Malignaggi so he should be able to recover from this in time but right now that
time might seem a long way away for Eggington as this loss ended any talk of a
big money fight with Brandon Rios.

Kelly vs.
Ball

Kelly retains the BBB of C Midland’s Area title as he halts Ball
inside a round. This looked a good match on paper but Kelly just blew Ball
away. He staggered Ball with a booming right cross which knocked Ball back into
the ropes. Kelly then stormed into Ball landed a whole pile of head punches until
the referee stepped in to save Ball with just 89 seconds gone in the round. The
24-year-old local fighter lived up to his “Ruthless” nickname and makes it six
wins by KO/TKO. First loss inside the distance for Ball.

Yafai vs.
Mairena

Yafai gets win over another Nicaraguan lamb to the slaughter. It
was not one of Yafai’s best nights but it did not have to be. He dominated
every round before sending Mairena down and out with a heavy left in the
eighth. Second win in a row for Yafai since losing a biggie to Gavin McDonnell
in March. The former undefeated Commonwealth and WBC International champion
will be aiming to be fighting for a title again next year. First fight outside
of Nicaragua for Mairena who was just a four and six round fighter back home
and will now become yet another dull dish for British boxers to beat up.

Ritson vs.
Amador

Just a warm-up for Ritson who fights for the European title next
month. Nicaraguan Amador posed no threat except for a careless head. Ritson
needed to get at least a couple of round of work for this to be in any way a
useful night so he was content to dominate the first two rounds with some
punishing uppercuts before putting Amador down out of the fight early in the
third with a left to the body . The 24-year-old Ritson will face Belgian
Francesco Patera, a former European champion, in Newcastle on 13 October.
Patera lost to Sean Dodd in Liverpool in 2016 but sprang a big surprise last
year by beating champion Edis Tatli in front of Tatli’s own fans only to lose
the title to Tatli in December by 10,10 and 9 points on the cards. First fight
outside of Nicaragua for Amador but he will now join the losers squad in
Barcelona and become cheap cannon fodder.

“The Monster” Moloney chews up former champion Concepcion. Moloney
established his domination from the first round. He used quick movement to both
step away from Concepcion’s punches and to move inside to land his own. He was
quicker with his jab and landed well with both hands. Concepcion did better in
the second pressing hard and testing the Australian’s chin with a couple of
rights but again hand speed and accuracy saw Moloney outboxing the Panamanian
veteran. Concepcion upped his pace in the third but so did Moloney. The
Panamanian chased after the fleet-footed Moloney and was effective with
uppercuts but Moloney was spearing him with jabs landing hooks to the body and
overhand rights. Moloney changed tactics in the fourth and fifth... He used his
superior strength to force Concepcion to the ropes and worked to the body with
hooks and uppercuts. When Concepcion did get off the ropes Moloney stood and
traded until Concepcion was forced back to the ropes again. Moloney continued
the pressure in the sixth. Concepcion landed some hard uppercuts and a stinging
right but body punches from Moloney were sapping his strength. Moloney seemed to ease up a little over the
seventh and eighth but was back on the charge in the ninth with Concepcion
starting to fade. Moloney rocked Concepcion with three straight rights in a
row. Concepcion landed a hard left hook but there was now no snap in the
Panamanian’s punches. Concepcion came out swinging in the last round determined
to stage a big finish . A right to the head from Moloney stiffened his legs and
took a lot of the fight out of him. Moloney battered him with hooks to the head
and then with Concepcion trapped against
the ropes Moloney landed a series of rights that saw the referee step in to
stop the fight-just as Concepcion threw a couple of punches but it was a good
stoppage. Moloney, 27, retains the WBA Oceania title and gets his best win so
far. His tactics were spot on; he paced the fight well, showed real power and
good defensive work. He is No 6 with the WBA and champion Khalid Yafai is a
natural target in what would make a great little fight.His twin brother Jason is entered in the WBSS
bantam tournament so heady times for the twins. Former WBA champion Concepcion,
32, lost his title when he failed to make the weight for a defence against
Yafai in December 2016. He had a mixed 2017 winning two fights but losing a
unanimous decision to a very average Iran Diaz. He has been in some wars and it
is beginning to show.

Tszyu vs.
Cornejo

Tszyu stops Cornejo in farcical “fight.” Tszyu tried some strong
jabs and immediately became apparent that Cornejo was inept with no idea of how
to throw a jab. He dropped his head with each of the few punches he threw and
tried some crude swings. An overhand right staggered Cornejo and he backed up
to the ropes. Tszyu went after him and some wicked uppercuts had Cornejo badly
hurt and the referee stepped in and saved him. Since Tszyu is only 23 there is
no need to rush him but this was a waste of time. The Australian No 3 gets his
ninth win by KO/TKO but needs better tests than this. There must be an awful
lot of abysmal quality fighters in Argentine for 37-year-old Cornejo to have
nineteen wins. Having said that he had run up 16 wins in a row before going the
distance in losing to 39-0-1 Damian Jonak but those 16 victims only had 24 wins
between them. He was pathetic here.

September 8

Zagreb, Croatia:

Heavyweights: Filip Hrgovic (6-0) W KO 3 Amir Mansour (23-3-1,1ND).

Cruiserweights: Damir
Beljo (25-0) W PTS 10 Lukas Paszkowski (10-3).

Hrgovic vs.
Mansour

Hrgovic gets the biggest win in his short career as he floors and
halts a disappointing Mansour. In the first the much taller Hrgovic was positioning
himself and using his jab to try to move Mansour into his big right hand
punches. Southpaw Mansour used his experience to avoid the trap but threw very
few punches of his own.Hrgovic did land
a couple of rights but other than that he either he came up short or Mansour
ducked under them. Hrgovic was warned for a punch after the bell but luckily it
missed. Mansour opened the second with some wild lunges then Hrgovic began to
let his hands go and landed a couple of rights but he was still finding the
retreating Mansour a difficult target. Hrgovic landed a punch to the back of
Mansour’s head and whilst the referee was warning Hrgovic Mansour dropped to
one knee. He was given some recovery time and managed to avoids rights from
Hrgovic to the bell. Mansour rushed out in a rage in the third throwing wild
punches and trying to ram his head into Hrgovic’s face. Hrgovic saw out the
storm and scored with some quick combinations. A left to the head staggered
Mansour who dropped to one knee. Mansour was up at six. When the action resumed
a straight right wobbled Mansour’s legs. A couple of rights saw Mansour bend
his knees as if to go down but then he changed his mind and threw some wild
punches. He was staggered again and then went to one knee and sat out the
count. Fifth win by KO/TKO for the 6’5” (198cm) Croat hope and his biggest
scalp so far. He got the job done but Mansour was unimpressive and there are
sterner tests to come for Hrgovic. At 46-years-old and just 6’1” (185cm)
Mansour was too small, too slow and too crude and never a threat. This was
Mansour’s first fight since being caught cheating against Sergey Kuzmin for the
vacant WBC International title in November. The Kuzmin fight was firstly ruled
a technical draw but when Mansour’s post fight sample tested positive for a
banned substance the WBC asked the AIBA Russian Federation to change the result
to No Decision.

Beljo vs.
Paszkowski

Another win over very modest opposition for the 33-year-oldBosnian
Beljo.. He has 20 wins by KO/TKO but the lack of quality in his list of
victimsmakes the statistic meaningless.
Paszkowski was stopped in two rounds by Jai Opetaia in April.

Agbeko retains the WBO African title with tenth round stoppage of
fellow Ghanaian Wilson. In the tenth
Agbeko hammered home rights to the head and Wilson was allowed to take too many
of those before the referee halted the fight. Sixth win in a row for the former
BF champion. He promises to keep active. Wilson’s record heavily padded with
poor opposition and when he has tried to move up he has been stopped twice by
Duke Micah.